


We're Awkward But That's Okay, At Least We're Awkward Together

by Thevastnessofmyimagination



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (Are there two gretas???), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Discrimination, F/M, Gen, Getting Together, Honestly i see her with a bunch a different names and thats valid ig, I dont think so oh well, I gave Greta a different last name than whats taged dont hate on me, I know nothing about sports and it shows, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Poly Losers Club Fic Exchange, Polyamorous Losers Club (IT), Richie Tozier Being a Dumbass, Teenage Losers Club (IT), The Losers Club Love Each Other (IT), They're in their senior year, Unless there are two and ive been spending this whole time thinking there is one?, baseball stan, everyone is collectivly a gay disaster, football mike, im kinda using this fic to vent about the fact that I don't get a proper graduation rip, some dudes are assholes, track ben, track eddie, uh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:39:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thevastnessofmyimagination/pseuds/Thevastnessofmyimagination
Summary: Bill hurried upstairs, past his very confused mother, and into his bedroom. He locked his door and leaned himself against it. Once he caught his breath he got on his computer. He hovered over the google search engine before typing;What to do when you have a crush on six people???
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Stanley Uris, Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh/Stanley Uris, Bill Denbrough/Ben Hanscom, Bill Denbrough/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon/Ben Hanscom/Eddie Kaspbrak/Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris, Bill Denbrough/Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Stanley Uris, Mike Hanlon/Ben Hanscom, Mike Hanlon/Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon/Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris, The Losers Club/The Losers Club (IT)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 104
Collections: Poly Losers Club Fic Exchange Vol.2





	1. Bill

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, i'm a disaster and life is hard so these are only the first two chapters, the others are all in different stages of completion but I will post them as soon as I have them done, which should not be too much longer

_ Tick tock. Tick Tock.  _ The seconds went by at an excruciating rate. It was the last class of the day and Bill Denbrough was ready to leave. His seventh period English teacher, Mr. Howzer, was rambling on about the Great Gatsby, and the American dream or whatever. Even if English was his favorite subject, Bill just couldn't bring himself to care. He had his head in his palm, watching the hands on the clock slowly go by when he was suddenly ripped out of his thoughts by someone clearing their throat. 

"Mr. Denbrough, since you seem so invested in the class why don't you tell me how Jay Gatsby's personal journey is connected to the american dream." Mr. Howzer said sternly. 

All of the eyes in the room were on Bill as he awkwardly looked up at his teacher. "W-well, Gatsby was born into the lower class, just like most Americans. They shared a c-c-common goal; to become rich and famous. The only difference is Gatsby actually achieves it. Th-though all his effort is for nothing and he's left alone without the girl he's in love with. So honestly sir i think the book is about the fractured outlook of society, and how classist boundaries stop people from living full lives. Because in r-r-reality, the american dream is nothing more than to live life without the interrupt-tion of someone else's opinions, and with the way the world is set up, there is no real way for us to achieve th-th-th--"

"Well Mr. Denbrough," Mr. Howzer cut him off, "If you can't finish the sentence then you can't provide a proper analysis. If you can't display that you know the material, then you'll have to to do a remedial assignment." 

A kid nearby chuckled. Bill slammed his hand down onto the table. 

"What? You c-can't do that!" He said in outrage. 

"I can, and I just did." Said Mr. Howzer. "I expect a full report of the subject on my desk by the beginning of class Monday." 

"T-that's bullshit! You d-did-didn't let m-me finish!" 

"Well with that type of language, we'll make it detention." 

Bill sank in his seat. 

"That's what I thought." Mused Mr. Howzer. "Tomorrow after school will give you plenty of time to complete your report." 

The bell rang. Mr. Howzer went back up to the front of the room leaving Bill stunned for a few seconds. Once the room was empty, Bill picked up his bag and headed for the door. As he was in the frame, Mr. Howzer stopped him. 

"Next time kid, just spit the damn word out. It's not that hard." He said, then he shut the door in Bill's face. 

Bill turned and angrily stomped down the hall. At his locker he was stuffing his homework in his backpack when a lanky arm snuck its way around his shoulders. Normally Bill would shrink away from the touch, but knowing whose lanky arm it was, he let himself calm for a second and sink into the embrace. 

He looked over at Richie, who had his large glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was smiling down at Bill from where he stood a good couple inches taller than him. 

Richie Tozier had been one of Bill's best friends since elementary school. There was a whole group of them that ran around town together. The seven of them were thick as thieves. The "Losers Club" they called themselves. Richie was their designated entertainment, or as they liked to call him, their trashmouth. Over the years Richie got recognised for not only being highly intelligent, but for also being a scoundrel. He's a notorious town trouble maker, and honestly, Bill wouldn't have him any other way. Even when he's being a major pain in the ass. 

"Billiam, what has got you so pent up this good evening?" Richie said. Bill almost didn't hear it, all he could really process was that he was close enough to see the faint freckles splattered across his friends face. 

"Speechless, I see. Don't be worried Big Bill, most people are once they get a look at my face. I'm just so handsome. It's a curse really." Richie joked. Bill placed a hand on his face and shoved him playfully. 

"S-sure thing Richie." Bill said. He sighed, then continued, "I've got detention tomorrow." 

"Damn man! What for?" 

"It's so stupid! I stuttered in class and that asshole Mr. H-Howzer wouldn't let me finish t-t-talking." 

"And he gave you detention for it!" Richie yelled. A few passerby students looked at them, so he lowered his voice to an almost whisper, "That motherfucker, I'll beat his ass for you!" 

Bill laughed, "Then I'd be in d-detention, and you'd be expelled." He looked up at his friend, "Don't worry about it. A f-few more months and we'll blow this j-joint." 

Richie leaned against the neighboring locker. "I can't believe we're so close to graduation. Honestly fuck this town." 

Bill nodded in agreement, closing his locker. He looked down and pulled his phone out of his pocket as it buzzed with a new message. 

\--

**Mike 🌸🌸**

Hey dude, the coach's cousin got in a car accident. Practice has been cancelled. Wanna come over to mine and work on our science project? 

**Bill🌻🌻**

Sure. I got Trashmouth with me though. That okay?

**Mike🌸🌸**

Of course!!! The more the merrier!! 😊

((I'm in the parking lot))

\--

Bill smiled down at his phone. Richie leaned over his shoulder. 

"Talking to your girlfriend hotshot?" He said.

"S-shut up! It's j-just M-mike!" Bill exclaimed. He felt his face heat up. "We're going to his house." 

To avoid any more questions, Bill quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed Richie by the arm, and dragged him in the direction of the parking lot. 

  
  
  
  
  


Mike's truck was a beat up bright blue ford from the 80's. It was really easy to spot in a crowd, and it helped that Mike was standing in the bed of his truck waving them over. 

"Hey guys!" Mike called. He ran up to the two of them and gave Richie a fist bump. Mike had been homeschooled by his grandparents, who became his legal guardians when his parents died. He didn't get to leave the farm very often, but his grandparents allowed him to enroll at Derry High as a treat when they were in their freshman year. He was scouted almost immediately by the athletics administrator and was put on the football team. He quickly gained a good reputation among the kids at the school, and the losers were there to support him at every game. Though the last to join their little group, they all took to Mike immediately. He was like the last piece to a big puzzle. He just fit in, and made their group feel complete. 

"Trashmouth, do you think you could help me with my Geometry homework?" Mike asked. Richie nodded. 

As the three of them walked back to Mike's truck, Richie casually placed his hand on the small of Mike's back. Bill found himself suddenly realising that he'd never noticed how weird that must look to some people. He brushed it off. They'd been friends for a while, it's natural to be cuddly with your friends. Infact, Bill knew all the ways the Losers liked to be touched, just in small ways that calmed them down when in a bad mood, or just made them feel more comfortable. For example, Bev likes having her shoulders rubbed, and Richie likes holding people in his arms. Mike likes to lean on shoulders, and Stan really enjoys head pats. It's much like how Ben likes to hold hands when he's nervous, or how Eddie will crawl into one of their laps and fall asleep when he gets tired during movie nights. Actually looking back on some of those, Bill could easily see how those could be taken as not so platonic from an outside view. 

"Bill!" Mike shouted. Only then did Bill realise that he'd fallen behind the other two, and they were already at the truck. He jogged up to them. 

"Play me up Billy boy." Richie said, holding both his hands out. Mike's truck only had two seats inside, so it became a losers tradition to play rock, paper, scissors in order to determine who gets shotgun. Bill played rock, Richie played scissors. He let out a little fist pump of triumph before climbing into the passenger's seat. Mike was already in the driver's seat and once Richie gave the signal (hitting the side of the truck three times) to signify that he was ready, Mike started backing out of the parking lot. 

Mike's farm was about a fifteen minute drive outside of town. The drive was almost completely quiet, they listened to music Mike played from his phone. Eventually Mike turned the volume down and caught Bill's attention. 

"Richie told me what happened at school." He said seriously. Bill huffed and looked out the window. "You need to report this Bill." 

"I-I've done that before! It only causes problems." Bill said. "The school d-doesn't care, and even if they did, we g-graduate in two months. It isn't worth the hassle." 

"Bill listen I understand where you're coming from. Being the only black kid in town, I get that there is no lack of discrimination. But you need to report this. If not for you then the next kid. For someone who will care, even if no one else does right now." 

Bill listened to what he said. "Well. One person cares." He met eyes with Mike for a second, "you do." 

Mike smiled, "Make that six, because so does everyone else." He said. "You're not alone Bill. You never have been." 

Mike removed one hand from the steering wheel and placed it over Bills, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

Bill looked down at their conjoined hands, running his thumb over Mike's knuckles. 

"W-why do we do this?" Bill asked. 

Mike glanced over at him in question.

"Do what?" He asked. 

"All this touching. Is it n-normal for friends to hold hands?" 

"I wouldn't really know man. You're the only friends I've ever had besides Mr. Chips. And he's a dog so…" 

"I mean, i-in all the movies I've seen this is the type of stuff you see lovers do.  _ Sh-shit man.  _ I've seen my p-parents do it." 

"So." Mike says, "A healthy relationship is built off a strong friendship." 

"Y-yeah." Bill pauses. He thinks about it. Why is he so beat up about this all of a sudden? It's not like he's afraid of what other people think. They're the losers club for Christ's sake! They've never cared what other people think. Bill looks at Mike. "I don't know. I-I guess that I'm just upset because I know what you guys all like, but n-not really what I like." 

"I guess you're just gonna have to figure that out, huh." Mike replied. 

"I g-guess so." 

  
  
  


Mike pulled steadily into his driveway. The dirt from the road came up and caked itself on Bill's window, and the branch of a low hanging tree scraped along the top of the car. 

"I just got this thing washed yesterday!" Mike complained. 

"Maybe you should p-pave your driveway." Bill suggested. 

"I wish, my grandpa says he likes the 'look of dirt' or whatever that means." 

They pulled up in front of the house, a quaint little thing covered in dust and flowers. Bill got out of the car and looked at a couple chickens crossing the yard a few feet away. Richie, still in the back of the truck, points at one of the hens. 

"That one looks like your mom." He said. 

"Shut the fuck up." Bill replies. On closer inspection however he realises that Richies kinda right. Just then the door to the house slams open, and Mike's grandma stands out on the porch. 

"Michael Hanlon, I swear to the great Lord almighty, you better not have run over my flower beds again." She yelled at him. 

"No, Grandma, they're fine. I didn't even touch them." He yelled back. 

The three of them made their way into the house. 

"We're gonna be up in my room working on school work." Mike said to his grandmother. He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he walked by her. 

"I'll get the snacks ready." She replied. "Got a nice pitcher of lemonade I just made this morning." 

Bill gave her a nice wave as he went into the house. She pulled him into a hug. 

"How's your mom doing William?" She asked. 

"Oh uh, s-she's just fine ma'am." Bill said. 

"That's great! Tell her to give me a call sometime, we need to catch up!" 

Bill went through the door and into the Hanlons living area, which is attached to their open plan kitchen. Mike was in the kitchen stuffing a role in his mouth. Behind him, Bill could hear Richie talking to Mrs. Hanlon. 

"Did you get a haircut?" Richie asked.

"Yes I did! You're very attentive Richard!" 

"It's hard not to pay attention to a lady and pretty as you Mrs. H!" 

"Oh stop it, you're too kind." 

Mike turned to them and yelled at Richie, "Stop flirting with my grandma trashmouth, we have homework to do!" 

Richie gave a wink to Mrs. Hanlon before he and Bill followed Mike up the stairs to his bedroom. Right before he was out of ear shot, Bill hears Mike's grandma turn to his grandpa and say;

"I don't understand why they call that boy trashmouth, he only has the nicest things to say!" 

Bill snorted.

Mike's room was modest, just like the boy himself. Sports posters were on the walls, along with several pictures of their friends. A couple empty energy drink cans littered the floor and on the corner of the desk, there was a pile of Cds, most of which were from Richie. Once in the room, Mike flung his bag on the floor and flopped down on his bed. 

"Man I am so tired. Practice has me so worn out." He said.

"I don't understand how you guys do all that sports stuff honestly. It's gross." 

"Says you Rich. Your limbs are literally made of spaghetti noodles. If you used them you'd break in half." Mike joked

"I could take the whole football team if I wanted to." Richie defended. 

"Punching Belch Huggins once d-does not m-make you invincible Richie." Bill said.

"Anyways, M-mike do you have a-any ideas for our project?" 

Mike leaned up from his bed. "Uh yeah, just a sec." He stretched over to his desk and grabbed his laptop, pulling in on top of his legs. Meanwhile Richie climbed on the opposite side of Mike's bed, and pulled out his homework. Bill took his shoes off and retrieved his folder out of his backpack before climbing in between them. Richie took out his phone, and turned the camera on. 

"Smile!" He said. Mike and Bill followed suit and Richie snapped the picture. Bill got a notification as the dark haired teen sent it to their group chat. 

\--

**Dick**

Image

**QueenBev**

Aww no fair!! I want cuddle time with my boys :((

**BigDickBill**

Are you feeling any better Beverly? 

**QueenBev**

Stopped getting sick this morning but still have a fever. 

**Spagheddie Krabsack**

That sucks Bev. I hope you get better :(. 

I'm still stuck in my house. My moms still pissed from when I sprained my ankle at the track meet. 

**Benjamin HANDSOME**

Wtf?? I hate your mom honestly. It's okay though Eddie I talked to Albert he understands. 

**Spagheddie Krabsack**

That's a relief. I'd hate to get kicked off the team.

**Stantheman**

Even if they could do that. I would personally make sure that it does not happen. 

**Dick**

We get it stan your class president 

**Stantheman**

*you're 

Shut the fuck up and do your homework Richard.

**Dick**

Aren't you supposed to be at baseball practice

**Stantheman**

I'm on the bench right now ass face

**QueenBev**

Stanny, calm down and let the boy do his calculus

Tell Mikey and Bill I love them

**Dick**

What? I don't get an I love you? 

**QueenBev**

Youre on thin fuckin ice buster 

but yes, i love you too

\--

  
  
  
  


After a little bit, they'd been working on their project for quite some time, but now their work lay forgotten. Mike's grandma's lemonade and cookies had been consumed. The boys laid on their backs on Mike's floor, their heads together, they stared at the ceiling.

"Okay but would you rather fuck the librarian or get eaten by a clown." Richie asked.

"W-hat the fuck Rich?" Bill questioned, at the same time that Mike said; "Librarian." 

The two other boys looked at their friend. 

"You asked." He simply said.

Richie stood up and stretched. "I gotta get home soon Mikey or Went’s gonna have a fit." 

"Alrighty." Mike said. 

Mike got up off the floor as well. He looked down at Bill. 

"You ready to go buckaroo?" He asked, holding out his hand. Bill took it and Mike pulled him up off the ground. 

"Whu-what the fuck i-is a Buckaroo." He said.

The three of them rounded up their stuff and made their way back to Mikes truck. Losing the game of rock paper scissors this time, Bill sat in the back. The wind rushed through his hair and the stars above him were crystal clear. He thinks to himself, "This is a perfect night." 

They dropped off Richie first. When Bill took his place back in the front seat, Mike was looking at him with a mischievous glint in his eye. Bill raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Do you wanna go get coffee?" Mike asked 

"At 9:30?" Bill looked at him like he was losing his mind. 

"Is there really any other time?" 

Bill thought about it. He wasn't completely ready to say goodnight to mike. And his parents weren’t expecting him back until 11. 

"Alright." 

  
  
  


Considering that it was still a bit cold outside at night, and that he had school tomorrow, Bill ordered a hot apple cider. Mike, like the madman he was, ordered an iced latte. The two of them drove up to the outlook and sat on the hood of Mike's truck, under the stars. Mike brought out the blanket he kept under his seat, and the two of them sat cuddling underneath it while trying to name the constellations. They were shoulder to shoulder, and under the blanket, their fingers were barely brushing in a way that made Bill's heart race. 

"That one, over there is the big dipper." Mike pointed out.

"Everyone a-and their dog knows where the big dipper is." Bill said

"Well I own a dog and I can tell you 100% Mr. Chips doesnt know where this next one is…" Mike trailed on about the constellations. Bill looked at him as he looked up at the stars. Mike's eyes reflected the night sky, and his dark skin was lit up in a sort of blue hue. He looked beautiful. 

Bill took a second to remember that this was his friend he was thinking about. His brain disconnected for a second and he remembered that the pretty boy in front of him was  _ the  _ Mike Hanlon. And somehow that realisation made the feeling in Bill's chest grow larger. Mike realised Bill was no longer paying attention and he turned to face his companion.

"You alright Big Bill?" He asked. 

"I think I might be having a heart attack." 

Mike's eyes flashes wide before a look of realisation comes across his face. 

"Is this about the touching thing?" 

"Whu-what?"

"The touching thing you were so concerned about earlier. Because I can give you space if you need it-" 

"NO!" Bill shouted. "I-I mean. I r-really like it, this t-t-touching thi-i-ing. I j-just d-d-don't know why I-I like it a-as much as I do." 

Mike's eyes met his. There was a determined but gentle look to them. "I think I have something I wanna try out. Just, don't freak okay?" He said. 

Bill nodded somewhat eagerly. 

"Okay. Uh, close your eyes." Mike instructed. So Bill did so. He felt Mike's breath hot on his face and for a split second, their lips touched. Bill barely had a chance to respond to it before Mike pulled away. 

"S-Sorry if that was too much!" Mike started. "I really didn't know what I was thinking, I'm kind of an idiot like tha-" 

Bill didn't let him finish before he was kissing him again. Mike let out a little squeak of surprise, but quickly sank into it. Bill's heart was pounding in his chest. It wasn’t like he hadn't kissed people before, but feels different. It  _ is  _ different. But not in a bad way. 

  
  
  


It was 11:15 when Bill walked into his house. Georgie was sitting on the couch watching TV when he entered the living room. Bill took a look at his little brother. 

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" He asked. 

"Aren't you supposed to hide your hickey?" Georgie said back. 

Bill quickly put a hand up to his neck. He ran to the hall mirror and to his horror, a big bruise was forming right on his jawline. 

"Better go hide that before mom sees it." Georgie said coyly. 

Bill hurried upstairs, past his very confused mother, and into his bedroom. He locked his door and leaned himself against it. Once he caught his breath he got on his computer. He hovered over the google search engine before typing; 

**What to do when you have a crush on six people???**


	2. Eddie

Eddie was stuck at home… again. His psycho mom had once again trapped him in the confines of their home and he was stuck. She got like this sometimes. Or well, all the time. Any time she felt like Eddie was in danger or over exerting himself, even when it was very clear that that wasn't happening. This time, Eddie had sprained his ankle at his last track meet. He had been on rest for a few days but at this point was feeling much better. Yet his mom still wouldn't let him go to practice or even return to school. Instead he had to ask Bill to drop off all his assignments. She wasn't showing any signs of letting up, and Eddie was getting really fucking sick of it. 

His only form of communication was his old cell phone. It didn't have any service, and was cracked to shit, but when connected to the internet he could use his chatting app to text his friends, and that's all he really needed. His mom had confiscated all his other stuff. His phone, his laptop, and even his old ipod he didn't even use anymore. Good thing she thought the old phone was broken or else Eddie wouldn't have had any contact with anyone besides Bill. 

Bill was the only one of Eddie's friends that his mom willingly let visit the house. The other losers had been over plenty of times, but only when she wasn't there. She hated them. See, Eddie's mom was the type of person to believe any gossip or stereotype that just happened to make its way through her ear canal. And the things she heard about Eddie's friends? Oh boy were they bad. It took all of Eddie's energy not to fight her when she called Bev a slut, or Ben a pig. She thought Richie was a filthy crackhead and that Stan was gonna sell his soul to the devil. Not to mention the horrible slurs she called Mike sometimes. Bill; however, was a middle class white boy who was raised in a Christian home and had "presentable" parents. That made him the only real friend Eddie had in his moms books. 

He sat on his bed staring at his ceiling, as he had been for the past hour or so. His mom was downstairs watching TV, but she always had an ear out in case Eddie made any noises. Even the slightest sound and his mom would come stomping up the stairs, convinced that he had hurt himself somehow. 

His diligent ceiling watching was interrupted by the faint vibration of the broken phone, which lay right next to him on the bed spread. He picked it up and through the cracked screen he saw that Bill was leaving him some worried text messages. 

\--

**Bill**

Eds 

Eddie 

Eddie i'm losing my shit  


**Eddie**

Damn man are you okay???

**Bill**

I'm low-key freaking the fuck out

**Eddie**

Dude you're scaring me what's going on? 

**Bill**

Sorry sorry, so uhhh, this thing happened with Mike today

We might have 

Kissed a little bit

**Eddie**

ACUSOAJSNANAMANW

WHAT

**Bill**

I'm so confused

**Eddiet**

Mike! 

As in, our mike? 

**Bill**

Yes that guy

**Eddie**

What the fuck

…

Was it good? 

**Bill**

Yeah Ig

**Eddie**

You guess? 

Do you like him like that? 

**Bill**

I didn't really think about it till today but, yeah, 

I really like him

**Eddie**

Thats wild 

**Bill**

Actually I've been thinking about it, and I really like Mike, but I also like other people… the thing is, I have an idea but if it goes wrong it can mess up our relationship forever and i'm really scared of that

**Eddie**

Shit that's,,, crazy man

**Bill**

Eddie

Do you know what Polyamory is? 

**Eddie**

No clue

**Bill**

It's like, for example, of one person is dating another person that person can date a third person, but the third person can also be dating the other person so all three are together, or not and the two original people are dating but they also date other people and it's okay because the whole point is having an open relationship that is understanding and fun. 

**Eddie**

Uh huh,,,, 

**Bill**

So, imagine that, but with seven people,,, 

**Eddie**

I am completely lost 

**Bill**

Dang, idk i'm tired. I think i'm gonna sleep on it

**Eddie**

Yeah that sounds like a good idea

**Bill**

Good night eds

**Eddie**

Night Bill

\--

Eddie stared at his phone with amazement and confusion. Did that actually just happen?? 

_ Bill and Mike?? _ He flopped himself back on his bed and stared once again at his ceiling, this time with much more on his mind. Any clear thoughts didn't have much time to form, however, due to a soft knocking at his window. 

Eddie stood and crossed his room. Upon opening his curtains he was met with the obnoxious face of one Richard Tozier. Richie was clinging to the lattice on the side of the house, and raised one of his hands up to give Eddie a little wave. 

Eddie quickly undid the lock and slid his window open. He grabbed Richie by the collar of his shirt, pulling him inside. Richie fell into him. The two boys landed in a heap with a soft  _ thump, _ the carpet being the only thing to muffle their fall. The two barely had time to untangle themselves before they could hear Eddie's mom from downstairs. As she hobbled her way up the stairs, Eddie frantically pulled Richie off the ground, and shoved the taller boy into his closet. He barely had time to shut the door before the door to his bedroom opened and his mom came clambering in. 

"Eddie-bear. Everything alright? You were making an awfull lot of noise." She said sweetly. She looked concerned. Eddie was not fooled. 

"Everythings fine mom. I just dropped a book is all." Eddie explained. 

"You need to be more careful Eddie-kins! You'll smash all your toes, and then you won't be able to walk anymore!" 

"Well I didn't, i'm perfectly fine, nothing is wrong." 

"Are you sure? I can take you down to the emergency room, they can give you a little check up." 

"No, mom I swear, everything is fine, i'll just go lay down and not touch anything for the rest of the night" 

"Okay, but if you need anything just tell me." 

"You'll be the first to know." 

She nodded gently, with a fake sense of consultation. Then she left the room. The second the coast was clear, Eddie opened his closet. Richie, in all his noddle limb glory, came wandering out. A large grin spread across his face. Eddie turned to him angrily. 

"Richie what the fuck!" Eddie whispered. "You know i'm on house arrest, if you were caught do you know how much shit i'd be in! Plus it's freezing and youre not even wearing a coat, youre going to die of hypothermia!" 

Richie lightly pinched Eddie's cheek, "I'd surely be dead without your guidance ol' Dr. Eds." 

"That's not my name dickwad." 

"Of course not! But I can't go calling you Dr. Kaspbrak, that's what I call your mom in bed." He teased. 

"Oh come on that one isn't even clever." Eddie let out an exasperated sigh. He sat himself back on his bed. "Seriously, why are you here?" 

"Just wanted to check up on you. It's a well known fact that people can go insane without their daily dose of Richie, I'm just here to provide you with it." Richie said. 

Eddie raised an eyebrow at him. They had a small staring contest. Richies gaze softened. "That and I've missed you. It's been a crazy couple days."

Eddie nodded in agreement. Then he realised something. 

"Hey you were hanging out with Bill and Mike today, right?" He asked. 

Richie turned to Eddie's bookshelf. He picked up a small figurine that was perched there and began to fiddle with it. "Yeah. Why?" 

"Did they act weird today?" 

"Define weird." Richie laughed. "In case you hadn't noticed Eddie, weird is kinda our normal." 

Eddie leaned himself back on the palms of his hands. "Weirder than usual." 

Richie stopped to think for a second. "Yeah actually. Bill seemed like he had a lot on his mind." 

"He texted me not too long ago." Eddie told Richie. "Something happened between him and Mike apparently." 

Richie set the figurine back on the shelf and turned to face Eddie. For a small moment, the look Richie had was unusually calm. His face was so slack that Eddie almost forgot it was Richie he was looking at. 

Fun fact about Richie Tozier, calm isn't a word to describe him. He was always laughing, making jokes. It was all a part of his charm to see him in such a good mood. But for a second, Eddie saw through the facade. The boy who stood before him, was Richie without all the glamor. He was mesmerizing. 

Then Richie broke into a small grin, his gaze breaking Eddies and heading to the floor. The spell was broken, and for the third time that night Eddie found himself confused as to what had just happened. 

"No shit?" Richie said. 

"Uh- yeah." Eddie said softly, his eyes not leaving the taller boy. Maybe it was the poor lighting, or just the fact that this night was just so strange, but Eddie felt as if he was looking at his world in a different way. "He wasn't making much sense though. Honestly I think we're all a little wacked out." 

Richie chuckled and looked at Eddie in question. " All of us?" 

Eddie felt his face flush. "I just… I think I need to go to bed." His face fell, and Richie could sense it was time for him to make an exit. 

"If you want to go to bed, I'll just be on my merry way then." Richie said. He gave Eddie a reassuring pat on the head, and then made his way back to the window. "It was nice seeing ya Eds. I'll catch up with you at school." 

Before Richie could fold his awkward limbs through the window, Eddie called out to him. "Rich, wait." He stood and grabbed a hoodie off the back of his desk chair, throwing it to Richie. 

"Don't catch hypothermia and die asshole." He said lovingly.

Richie slid the hoodie on, it was too small for him, but he gave Eddie a thumbs up. "I'll return your totem princess. Once i'm done with this valiant quest." He said. 

Eddie scoffed. "Just put it in my locker on Monday." 

Once Richie had gone, Eddie closed and locked his window again. Without much else to do he dropped back down on his bed and looked at his ceiling. He was  _ not _ getting much sleep tonight. 

Two days later, Eddie found himself in the locker room after practice. His mom finally let up and let him return to school on Monday, and he spent the afternoon trying to make his absence up to his coach… again. Honestly, Eddie was surprised he was still on the team. His mom was very reluctant to let Eddie join. He begged and argued to be included, especially after Ben joined. She eventually let him, but had used every excuse possible to ensure that he didn't participate. Fortunately Albert, Eddies coach, was very understanding and had almost as much distaste for Eddies mom as Eddie did. 

A lot of Eddie's success was partial to Ben. He originally joined the team a year before Eddie did. Neither of them were viewed as very athletic people, but to the surprise of many, they both ended up being crucial members of the team. They still weren't very close to anyone else on the team, but they built each other up, and with Albert on their side no one really messed with them. 

Eddie got his bag from the locker room and tried to get his things together as quickly as possible. He hated the locker room. It was disgusting and grimey. Every surface covered in an unimaginable amount of germs. He hated it so much that he resigned to sitting in his own sweat until he could use his home shower. 

"You heading home?" Eddie heard someone say from behind him. He turned to see Ben standing in the entryway to the room.

"Yeah." Eddie said. "I thought you left already?". 

"I was waiting for you actually." Ben explained. "You've been stuck in your house for a while and I was thinking that you might want to spend some time with me? We could just hang out at my house for a little bit. You can take a shower at my house, I'm sure my mom won't mind" 

Eddie smiled. "That's really sweet Ben, really, but I don't have anything to change into."

"You can borrow something of mine." Ben blushed, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. 

Eddie thought for a second. 

"Okay" 

Ben's house always had a homey feel to it. Eddie felt like he could drown in comfort. He was wearing one of Ben's old sweatshirts. It was gigantic on Eddie, but he loved how it felt kind of like a blanket around him. He sat on Ben's bed, the other boy right beside him. They were watching Netflix on a laptop. It was a good show, and Eddie was enjoying it. 

"This little kid reminded me of Richie when we were eleven." Ben said. 

"Holy fuck you're right." Eddie laughed. "He was such an obnoxious little fucker." 

"Still is kinda. But in a charming way." Ben flushed. 

Eddie leaned himself against Ben's shoulder. "You can't say anything mean about anyone can you?" He asked. 

"It's a curse I guess." 

Eddie looked at Ben.  _ Really  _ looked at him. He had lost some weight since they were kids, but Ben was all soft edges. His face was illuminated by the computer screen, and Eddie realised that Ben was very handsome. His brain immediately shut down. 

"Hey Ben." He said. 

"Whats up?" 

"You like Bev right? Like since we were kids and shit." 

Ben was silent for a moment. "I do. But I think it's more complicated than that now." 

"I think I understand what you mean." Eddie said. 

Ben looked at him strange, but didn't question any further. Eddie, still leaning on Ben's arm, took his phone out of his pocket, and pulled up Bill's contact. 

\--

**Eddie**

I think I'm starting to understand. 


	3. Stan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this formating is different i'm uploading from my phone :P

Stan Uris was not an oblivious idiot. Unlike Eddie, who went through his day not realising the massive crushes he had on all his friends, or Bill, who ignored them, Stan knew exactly what was going on, and he had known for a while now. The thing is, Stan hated it. It wasn't that he hated that he loved his friends. It was that he hated the  _ way  _ he loved them. People are supposed to love their friends. But when Mike smiled his gorgeous smile, or Eddie finally broke and laughed at Richies jokes, Stan felt his heart expand. And he resented himself for it. He knew that if he kept on this road, someone was going to find out. When that happened, his relationship with his friends would never be the same. Still, his feelings were resilient. They stuck, and they stuck hard. 

Stan felt attached to all the losers, just not in the same ways. They were all so different, but when put together they formed a group that was so perfect Stan sometimes questioned if it was even real. He was, however, constantly reminded of just how real this all was. That's precisely why he was scared to reach out and actually touch it. 

One thing he did touch was Bevs hand. They were sitting on the bedroom floor of the small house she and her aunt had moved into when they came back to Derry. When Bev was put in her Aunt's custody, she stayed with her in Portland, afraid that her father might do something to her if she went back to her hometown. A few years ago he was arrested for assault and the two ladies felt that it was safe for them to come back. Bev had stayed in touch while she was gone, and when she returned it was almost as if she had never left. But Stan remembered what it was like to not have her around, and somehow it made him long for her more. 

Their fingers were loosely intertwined. She had a coloring book spread out in front of her. The pamphlet on birds Stan was reading lay forgotten though. He was looking at her. She was the first one he realised his feelings for. Maybe it was just because she was the only girl, but maybe it was because Bev was the fire cracker. Her personality was red hot. If anyone got too close they would get burned. He remembered when it happened to Bill, to Ben, and sure enough it happened to him too. Bev was addicting. 

"Hey Stanny." Bev said, looking up at him. "What color do you think this rabbit should be?" 

He slid an arm around her waist and gently placed his chin on her shoulder. "Hmm. Orange." 

"Nice." She replied. The colors on her page were all bright and ridiculous. They swirled around as if she was on some psychedelic drug trip. In actuality Bev just liked it when things looked weird. She and Richie had that in common, but Bev with fashion sense. 

"Hey do you wanna go get some ice cream?" Stan asked her. 

Bev thought for a second. "Yeah that sounds good actually." 

She left her coloring supplies out on the floor while she went to get her jacket and purse. Stan couldn't stand the disorganised mess that it was so he picked them all up and placed them neatly on her desk. 

* * *

Usually whenever one of the boys was over, Bevs aunt would stop them and ask them a million questions. She was a woman, with a personality much like Beverly herself (though Bev would never admit to it), and she absolutely loved the losers. Infact, she has tried to set all the boys up with her niece on several occasions. Good thing for Stan, she was out of the house at the moment, so he didn't have to suffer through the embarrassing questions. The two teens ducked out of the house, and since neither Stan or Bev had a car, they walked. 

Their walk was quiet at first. To be completely honest, Stan was always at a loss for words around Bev. She had a life to her, one that was so bright and charismatic, he often didn't feel as though he could match it. Everytime he attempted a conversation, he couldn't help but feel as if he was lacking in some department. Meanwhile for her, it just seemed so easy. 

Bev looked slyly over at her jewish companion and smirked. Stan had barely noticed it, but while he was off in thought, he started staring at her. He blushed furiously and looked away immediately. Bev pretended she didn't notice. 

"Kinda silly we're getting ice cream when we can still see our breath in the air." She said, stuffing both her hands in her pockets. 

"We're kinda silly people." Stan responded, a meek smile finding a place on his face. 

Bev laughed lightly. "The silliest."

She sighed loudly and made a big scene of stretching her arms out, then sliding one around Stans waist. He was quite taller than her, and her arm sat awkward around his hips, but at the same time, it was comforting. He found himself resting into it a little bit. 

That's another thing about Beverly he loves. Even when he doubts himself, she has the most subtle ways of comforting him. Ways that make him feel like the doubt wasn't there to begin with. And it's all the more reason he can't ever be with her. Or any of the losers for that matter. He can't risk losing this. 

* * *

The ice cream parlor was only a few blocks away from Bevs building. Not that that's saying much, because everything was only a few blocks away from everything in Derry. The inside of the building had a retro 80's theme, and was thankfully significantly warmer than outside. 

Bev gave Stan a $10 bill from her purse and then went to go save them a booth. He got two waffle cones, one mint chocolate chip (Bevs personal favorite), and a plain vanilla, (Stan wasn't adventurous). 

He was just about to make his way over to Bev when he was stopped dead in his tracks by an obnoxious ponytail. Ugh,  _ Greta Keene.  _ Gross. 

Stan used all of his energy to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Just kidding, of course he rolled his eyes. 

"Stan Urine! Fancy seeing you here." She said dramatically. 

"Is it now." He responded dryly. 

" It's hard to find any of your flock all by yourselves, where are your little buddies?" She questioned. Her ponytail flung to the side as she tilted her head. 

"Committing ritual sacrifice." 

She gave a strangled laugh. Sounding a bit like a cow actually. 

"Alright Greta, cut the bullshit. What's your deal?" Stan demanded. 

"Is that Bevvie back there? On a little date? You two are cute together. An interesting combination though. Out of everyone in your little gang,the jew and the slut, who would have thought?" 

Stan was about to give Greta a piece of his mind, but someone clearing their throat behind her stopped him. Bev was standing there, a hand rested on her hip.

"Funny of you to talk, Greta. Last I heard you were hooking up with Bowers?" The red head said. 

Greta huffed with annoyance. "As if you have anything to say for it slut!" 

"Wow, original. Someone should give you an award for your insults." Bev taunted. 

Before Greta could defend herself, Bev rushed past her and hooked her arm with Stans. 

"Well Greta it's been fun catching up, but my date and I have anywhere to be but here." Bev said. She then turned the both of them around and led them out of the store.

* * *

As they left the building, Stan couldn't help but laugh a little. Bev took her ice cream from him, and with one of his hands free, he placed it on her back. 

"I can never get over you and your sarcastic comments." He said. 

"That's a real compliment, Stanny. Coming from you, king of sarcasm." She replied. 

"Oh please. The only time I'm sarcastic is when Richie is being an idiot." 

"Sure thing." Beverly laughed. 

They made their way to an empty bench along the sidewalk. A sad sort of silence fell over them. 

"We're never gonna escape them. Are we?" Stan said sadly. 

"We will. Soon we can leave this town and never look back at it." Bev reassured him. 

"How do we know there won't be more Bowers, or Gretas out there? I mean, we got off easy today. What if it only gets worse?" 

"Stan, look at me." She said. He raised his head to meet her gaze. Her green eyes had a blaze to them, one that he'd seen before but never set on him with such precision. It was kind of stunning. 

"It doesn't matter if every other person in this world is exactly like Greta Keene. We have each other. And the other losers too. As long as we have each other, there is nothing they can do to us." She wrapped her ice cream free around him in a hug. "We're a unit. Nothing will break us." 

Bevs phone went off in her purse and she slowly broke the hug in order to check it. 

"Oh shit. It's aunt Cathy." Bev explained. "She wants me home to help with dinner." She looked up at Stan.

"That's alright." Stan said. "It's about time I got home as well." 

They both stood, but before they went their different directions, they hovered for a second. 

"Stan." Bev started. She looked nervously at the ground. "There is one thing Greta got right." 

Stan looked at her confused. "What's that?" 

She got on her tip-toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

"We do look cute together." She smiled sweetly up at him, then turned to walk home. He stared at her until she disappeared around the corner. 

* * *

Stan walked in the front door of his house to find that his father was sitting in a chair next to the living room fire. He had a newspaper out in front of him. Stan's parents were a bit old fashioned, they hardly had any electronics in the house. In fact the only TV you could find is the one that Stan had up in his bedroom. 

Speaking of his bedroom, Stan tried to sneakily make it to the stairwell before his dad called him in for another impromptu lecture. 

"Stanly. Come sit." His dad said. 

Damn. So close. Stan awkwardly shuffled over to the sofa across from his dad. His dad didn't say anything immediately, so he took his jacket off and fiddled with it in his lap. Finally Stan's dad put his newspaper down. A board look was in his eyes. This was normal. 

"You were out a bit late today, spending time with your friends?" He asked. 

"Uh, just one. For a few minutes yeah." Stan told him. 

"You need to be focused on your studies." His dad said. "I understand that this is your last year of highschool. Your mother and I support you fully through this tough time, but you have not been dedicating enough time to your practices." 

"If course sir." Stan looked down at his shoes. 

It was never, 'Hey son have a nice day?' Or, 'Want to catch up?.' It was always 'You aren't studying enough Stan.' Constantly 'You aren't doing enough Stan.' Just once he would like for his parents to show a little interest in his life. They don't even know the names of any of his friends besides Richie. Still, Stan knows that this is an argument that can't be won. No matter how many times he does his reading, or how much Hebrew he knows, it didn't matter. He was never going to live up to his father's expectations. 

"I'll work harder." Stan said. 

Mr. Uris fixed him with a hard look. 

"Good." 

* * *

Up in his room, Stan frustraitedly went to his desk and sat down at his computer. He brought up his Video chat app and called Richie. 

Like usual, it took him a few rings before Richie finally picked up. But then the screen filled with a close up of his chin. It looked like He was badly attempting to skateboard. Stan felt his worries already slipping away at the sight of his best friend acting like an idiot. 

As if just noticing he was there, the camera shifted to a much more flattering angle of Richie's face. The other teen smiled brightly at his friend. 

"Stan the man! What's going on!" He said excitedly.

Stan kept a stoic face. "Oh no I must have hit the wrong contact ID. " 

"Aww man don't hang up. Lets chat a little." Richie said. "I haven't seen you in a few days, what have you been up to?" 

"Nothing new." Stan reported. "My dads getting on my ass, like usual." 

"That sucks man." He sympathized. 

"I hung out with Bev today though." 

"Fuck yeah Bevs the best. How'd that go?" 

"We ran into Greta Keene." 

"Big Yikes." 

At this point, Richie had gotten back up on his skateboard and was once again attempting to ride it. Stan rambled on a bit about some things, Richie never failed to answer. It was a routine they had fallen into. Whenever one had a bad day, they would call the other and just rant a bit, and the other would be there. He loved Richie for it. 

"Bevs incredible, she can deal with these situations like a champ." Stan said. 

"Yeah man, she's the best." Richie agreed. He smiled down at the camera. "You blushing a little there Uris?" 

"What? No. I have no idea what youre talking about!" 

"Damn dude I was just pulling your leg. What kind of a reaction was that though?" Richie smirked. "You got a crush on our girl Stan?" 

Stan froze. This can not be happening.

"Of course not!" Stan quickly defended. "I mean she's amazing, but she's my friend. You don't think about friends like that." 

"Even pretty friends?"

Stan scoffed. "All of our friends are pretty friends." 

"Oh yeah?" Richie questioned. He struck a dramatic pose. "What about me?" 

"Except for you. You look like a naked mole rat wearing a dirty mop as a wig." 

"Harsh Uris, harsh." 

In all reality, Richie was very attractive. In his own Richie way of course. But there was no way Stan was gonna let him know that. 

The sky outside was dark. Richie had the skateboard he had abandoned riding tucked under his arm. 

" I'm almost home. You know how my mom gets when i'm on the phone during dinner." Richie said. 

"Yeah, I gotta eat soon too." 

"I'll talk to you later Stan." Richie gave a wink. "Love you dude." 

Stan let himself smile. " I love you too." 

His screen went dark again. He shut his laptop and swiveled around in his chair till he was looking out his bedroom window. From his window he could almost see Richie's house down the street. He could imagine Richie walking in the door just about now, telling some stupid joke to his dad about where he had been so late. Stan chuckled. 

Ugh. He fucking loves his friends. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, excuses excuses, i'm sorry this is taking so long. I had planed to get this chapter out long before now but I had some emergancy stuff to do with school. I found out that I didn't have enough credits to graduate and then had to harass my gov teacher to get me my work so I could pass his class. I got my confirmation for graduation less than 24 hours before the ceremony and I still havent got my deploma ugh. It was really stressful and I'm so happy its behind me now. In other news, i'm so happy people are enjoying this!! Please don't forget to leave comments, I reply to all of them and I really like to hear what you think. Have fun guys!


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